Car-coupling



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J.JARRETT, J. R. DAVIES 8v J. EDWARDS.

GAR GOUPLING.

Patented 001;'. 5,189?.A

1'0 14 -15 fm We INVENTORS JWM (NoModel.) -zsheetsgsheet 2.

, J. R. DAVIES 8v J..EDWARDS.`

J. JARRETT GAR COUPLING.

10,591,251 Patented 001;. 5, V1897.

"NirFD STATES JOHN JARRFTT, OF PITTsDUne, JOHN R. DAvIFs, OF DUoUFsNF, AND JOHN FDwARDs,y OF HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Patent No. 591,257, dated October 5, 18,97.' Application filed January 18, 1897. `Serial No. 619,535. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, JOHN JARRETT, of Pittsburg, JOHN R. DAvIFs, of Duquesne,

and JOHN EDWARDS, of Homestead, in the which Figure 1 is a horizontal section of two cars provided with our improved coupling. Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation of a car with our coupler and operating-rod attached. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view, partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the coup- 1ers, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section showing the couplers locked together.

Our invention relates to that class of carcouplers wherein twin jaws are employed, each jaw having upon one side a swinging hook or knuckle and upon the other side a rigid hook portion which is .engaged by the knuckle of the opposite head; and it is designed to enable couplers Of this class to couple together where the heads are out of register with each other either vertically or laterally.

In the drawings, in which similar numerals indicate corresponding parts, 2 represents the coupler-head, which is preferably provided on its front face with a reversely-curved or S-shaped surface, as shown.u The rear portion of the head is provided withtwo `recesses having curved inner faces 3, in which recesses fit the lugs 4 of the draw-bar, a pivotpin 5 passing down through the coupler and the draw-head lugs, the inner ends of the lugs being curved correspondingly to the curvature of the inner faces of the recesses. The pin is reduced in diameter at the point G, so as to provide a shoulder which rests upon the lower face of the coupler-recess and prevents dropping of the pin in case it should be broken below its-head. A pivotal connection is thus given between the coupler-head and the draw@ bar, which connection is of great strength and security on account of the several interiitting lugs and the fact that the pin, though broken in two or more parts, will still remain in position and hold the parts in place. Upon one side the couplerhead is provided with two projecting lugs '7 '7, which fit within recesses in a swingingknuckle 8, having a hooked head 9, and a lower projecting tailpiece 10. Through a slot 11 in the tailpiece passes a headed pin 12, which passes through a guiding-hole in a lug 13, projecting downwardly from the couplerhead, a spiral spring 14 being interposed between the lug upon the coupler-head and the tail of the knuckle, so as to normally throw the knuckle-hook inwardly. Each couplerhead is provided on the side opposite to that of the knuckle with a rigid hook portion 15, adapted to be engaged by the knuckle of the opposite coupler-head when the couplers engage each other. The pin 16, which forms the pivot for the knuckle, is shown formed with a reduced portion 17, in the same man- `ner and for the same purpose as the pivotpin for the coupler-head. The knuckles are disengaged from their coupled positions by chains 18, 'secured to the end of the knuckletail and extending sidewise and upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, to a lever 19, secured to a rod 20. The rod 2O is provided with handles 21 at each end, and is rotatably mounted in bearings 22, through which it may be slid longitudinally. It is evident that when this rod is rotated the `chain vacting upon the tail of the knuckle will swing the same open, after which the rod may be slid longitudinally, so as to bring the lever 19 in its lifted position behind a lug or bracket 23, secured to the end of the car, thus holding the knuckle in unlocked position. The coupler-heads may be slotted,

as shown at 24, if desired, and provided with vertical holes 25by means of which either coupler-head may be united to a coupler of a dierent type by the ordinary link-and-pin connection.

The operation of the coupler will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the heads of the knuckles riding over the curved end portions of the coupler-head and the springs throwing them inwardly, so as to engage the coupler-head hook as the coupler-heads come" together, the uncoupling being performed by operating the rods 2O to disengage the knuckles, as above described. The pins 5 and 16 may be formedwithout the reduced portions IOO 6 and 17, in which case the lower lug of the coupler-head or draw-bar is provided with a socket of the diameter of the pin, a smaller hole extending through the lug to permit the insertion of a rod to remove the pin, as in case of breakage of the pin.

The advantages of our invention are numerous. The knuckle engaging a portion 'of the opposite coupling head, the pullingstrain does not tend to disengage the knuckle, but rather to hold it more firmly in position. The engagement of the hooks being on the opposite sides of the heads, the strain is equally distributed on both sides of the coupling. The coupler-heads being pivoted to the draw-bar, a coupling may be effected on any curve. The connections between the coupler-head and the draw-bar and between the coupler-head and knuckle being in the form of several interfitting lugs, one or more of these lugs may be broken, or the pin may be broken, without materially interfering with the operation of the coupler. The shock of impact when the cars meet is borne by the coupler-head and draw-bar and danger of breaking the knuckle is greatly lessened. 'lheknuckles being held in engaging position by yielding pressure rather than by a positive lock, in case of an accident the overturning of one car will force back the knuckles and uncouple the cars. The parts of the coup ling are very simple and few in number and are not liable to get out of order by breakage or action of ice, dac. By making the couplerhead separate from the draw-bar in the event of breakage of either it is unnecessary to renew anything but the broken portion.

Ve prefer to make the spiral spring 14 in double form, one spring lying within the coils of the other, so that if one spring should break the other will perform the necessary functions. The form of the coupler-head, the knuckles, dac., may be varied without departing from our invention, since We claim- 1. A couplerprovided with a front face having a concave and convex portion, these portions merging into each other, said coupler having on one side a swinging knuckle, and on the other side a rigid hook portion arranged to be engaged by the knuckle of the opposite coupler.

2. A pivotally-monnted coupler-head, provided with a front face having a concave and convex portion, these portions merging into each other, said head having at one side a swinging knuckle and at the other a rigid hook portion arranged to be engaged by the knuckle of the opposite coupler-head.

3. A pivotally-mounted coupler-head provided with a front face having a concave and convex portion, these portions merging into each other, said head having pivoted to one side thereof a swinging knuckle, a spring arranged to force the knuckle normally in wardly, and a rigid hook portion upon the other side of the head arranged to be engaged by the knuckle of the opposite coupler-head.

4. A coupler -head having a front face which is provided with a transverse concave portion merging into a convex portion, a swinging knuckle pivoted at one side of the coupler-head, a rigid hook portion at the other side of the coupler-head arranged to be engaged by the knuckle of the opposite coupler-head, and a draw-bar having a pivotal connection with the coupler-head.

5. A coupler-head having a pivotal conn ection with a draw-bar, said connection consisting of interiitting lugs, and a pivot-pin passing therethrough, a swinging knuckle having a similar pivotal connection to the coupler-head, and a rigid hook upon the other side of the coupler-head.

6. A coupler-head having a front face provided with a concave and convex portion,

these portions merging into each other, a 

